IPv6 Addressing

9.1
 IPv6 ADDRESSES

• Despite all short-term solutions, address depletion is still a long-term

problem for the Internet.
• This and other problems in the IP protocol itself have been the
motivation for IPv6.
• The network layer protocol in the TCP/IP protocol suite is currently IPv4.
• Although IPv4 is well designed, data communication has evolved since
the inception of IPv4 in the 1970s.
• IPv4 has some deficiencies that make it unsuitable for the fast-growing
Internet.

9.2
 Note

An IPv6 address is 128 bits long.

9.3
 Figure IPv6 address in binary and hexadecimal colon notation

9.4
 Figure Abbreviated IPv6 addresses

9.5
 Q. Expand the address 0:15::1:12:1213
to its original.

9.6
 Solution
We first need to align the left side of the double colon to the
left of the original pattern and the right side of the double colon
to the right of the original pattern to find how many 0s we need
to replace the double colon.

This means that the original address is.

9.7
 Figure Reserved addresses in IPv6

9.8
 IPv6 HEADER

9.9
 IPv6 HEADER
Version
This 4-bit field defines the version number of the IP. For IPv6, the
value is 6.

Priority
The 4-bit priority field defines the priority of the packet with respect to traffic
congestion. We will discuss this field later.

Flow Label
The flow label is a 3-byte (24-bit) field that is designed to provide special
handling for a particular flow of data. We will discuss this field later.
9.10
 IPv6 HEADER

Payload Length
The 2-byte payload length field defines the length of the IP datagram excluding
the base header.

Next Header
The next header is an 8-bit field defining the header that follows the base header
in the datagram. The next header is either one of the optional extension headers used by
IP or the header of an encapsulated packet such as UDP or TCP. Each extension header
also contains this field. Note that this field in version 4 is called the protocol.

9.11
 IPv6 HEADER
Hop Limit
This 8-bit hop limit field serves the same purpose as the TIL field in IPv4.

Source Address
The source address field is a 16-byte (128-bit) Internet address that identifies the
original source of the datagram.

Destination Address
The destination address field is a 16-byte (128-bit) Internet address that usually
identifies the final destination of the datagram. However, if source routing is used, this
field contains the address of the next router.

9.12
 Priority
• The priority field of the IPv6 packet defines the priority of
each packet with respect to other packets from the same
source.
• For example, if one of two consecutive datagrams must be
discarded due to congestion, the datagram with the lower
packet priority will be discarded.
• IPv6 divides traffic into two broad categories:
Congestion-controlled and Noncongestion-controlled
9.13
 Congestion-Controlled Traffic

• If a source adapts itself to traffic slowdown when there is congestion,

the traffic is referred to as congestion-controlled traffic.
• For example, TCP, which uses the sliding window protocol, can
easily respond to traffic.
• In congestion-controlled traffic, it is understood that packets may
arrive delayed, lost, or out of order.
• Congestion-controlled data are assigned priorities from 0 to 7, as
listed in Table 20.7. A priority of 0 is the lowest; a priority of 7 is the
highest.
9.14
9.15
 The priority descriptions are as follows (01/02):
No Specific Traffic
A priority of 0 is assigned to a packet when the process does not define a
priority.

Background Data
This group (priority 1) defines data that are usually delivered in the
background. Delivery of the news is a good example.
Unattended Data Traffic
If the user is not waiting (attending) for the data to be received, the packet will
be given a priority of 2. E-mail belongs to this group. The recipient of an e-mail does not
know when a message has arrived. In addition, an e-mail is usually stored before it is
forwarded. A little bit of delay is of little consequence.
9.16
 The priority descriptions are as follows (02/02):
Attended bulk data traffic
A protocol that transfers data while the user is waiting (attending) to receive the
data (possibly with delay) is given a priority of 4. FTP and HTTP belong to this group.
Interactive Traffic
Protocols such as TELNET that need user interaction are assigned the second-
highest priority (6) in this group.
Control Traffic
Control traffic is given the highest priority (7). Routing protocols such as OSPF
and RIP and management protocols such as SNMP have this priority.

9.17
 Noncongestion-Controlled Traffic

• This refers to a type of traffic that expects minimum delay. Discarding

of packets is not desirable.
• Retransmission in most cases is impossible. In other words, the source
does not adapt itself to congestion.
• Real-time audio and video are examples of this type of traffic.
• Priority numbers from 8 to 15 are assigned to noncongestion-controlled
traffic.
• Although there are not yet any particular standard assignments for this
type of data, the priorities are usually based on how much the quality of
received data is affected by the discarding of packets.
9.18
 • Data containing less redundancy (such as low-fidelity audio or video) can be
given a higher priority (15).
• Data containing more redundancy (such as high-fidelity audio or video) are
given a lower priority (8). See Table 20.8.

9.19
 Table Comparison between IPv4 and IPv6 packet headers.

9.20
 Table Comparison between IPv4 options and IPv6 extension headers.

9.21
 IPv4 IPv6

IPv4 addresses are 32 bit length. IPv6 addresses are 128 bit length.

IPv4 addresses are binary numbers represented in IPv6 addresses are binary numbers represented
decimals. in hexadecimals.

IPSec support is only optional. Inbuilt IPSec support.

Fragmentation is done by sender and forwarding

Fragmentation is done only by sender.
routers.

Packet flow identification is available within the IPv6

No packet flow identification.
header using the Flow Label field.

Checksum field is available in IPv4 header No checksum field in IPv6 header.

No option fields, but IPv6 Extension headers are

Options fields are available in IPv4 header.
available.

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is available to Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is replaced with a
map IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses. function of Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is used to IGMP is replaced with Multicast Listener Discovery
manage multicast group membership. (MLD) messages.

Broadcast messages are not available. Instead a link-

Broadcast messages are available. local scope "All nodes" multicast IPv6 address (FF02::1)
is used for broadcast similar functionality.

Manual configuration (Static) of IPv4 addresses or

DHCP (Dynamic configuration) is required to Auto-configuration of addresses is available.
9.22 configure IPv4 addresses.
  IPv4 Advantages

 Connectionless Protocol and Best effort based.

 Addresses are easier to remember.

 Existing networks are already using it.

 Classful and classless addressing.

 Millions of addresses are wasted.

 Planning for excessive growth was not foreseen, addresses are running out.

9.23
  IPv6 Advantages:
 No more NAT (Network Address Translation)

 Auto-configuration

 No more private address collisions

 Better multicast routing

 Simpler header format

 Simplified, more efficient routing

 Built-in authentication and privacy support

 Flexible options and extensions

 Easier administration (say good-bye to DHCP)

 Large address space.

 Enhanced QoS.

 Efficient routing

 Built in security.

 Larger addresses harder to remember.

 Transition takes time and is not always smooth.

 Not always usable some machines have to be replaced.

9.24
 Why IPv6? IPv4 IPv6

IPv6 has more addresses 4.3 billion addresses 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses

Networks must be configured manually or with
IPv6 networks are easier
DHCP. IPv4 has had many overlays to handle Internet
and cheaper to manage
growth, which demand increasing maintenance efforts.
IPv6 networks provide autoconfiguration capabilities.
They are simpler, flatter and more manageable for
large installations.

Widespread use of NAT devices means that a single
IPv6 restores end-to-end
NAT address can mask thousands of non-routable
transparency
addresses, making end-to-end integrity unachievable.
Direct addressing is possible due to vast address space
– the need for network address translation devices is
effectively eliminated.

IPv6 has improved Security is dependent on applications – IPv4 was not IPSEC is built into the IPv6 protocol, usable with a
security features designed with security in mind. suitable key infrastructure.

Relatively constrained network topologies restrict IPv6 provides interoperability and mobility
IPv6 has improved
mobility and interoperability capabilities in the IPv4 capabilities which are already widely embedded in
mobility capabilities
Internet. network devices.

IPv4 was designed as a transport and communications Given the numbers of addresses, scalability and
IPv6 encourages
medium, and increasingly any work on IPv4 is to find flexibility of IPv6, its potential for triggering
innovation
9.25 ways around the constraints. innovation and assisting collaboration is unbounded.
 TRANSITION FROM IPv4 TO IPv6

• Because of the huge number of systems on the Internet, the transition from IPv4 to

IPv6 cannot happen suddenly.

• It takes a considerable amount of time before every system in the Internet can move

from IPv4 to IPv6.

• The transition must be smooth to prevent any problems between IPv4 and IPv6

systems.

• Three strategies have been devised by the IETF to help the transition (see Figure

9.26 20.18).
9.27
 Dual Stack

9.28
 Dual Stack
• It is recommended that all hosts, before migrating completely to version
6, have a dual stack of protocols.
• In other words, a station must run IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously until
all the Internet uses IPv6. See Figure 20.19 for the layout of a dual-stack
configuration.
• To determine which version to use when sending a packet to a
destination, the source host queries the DNS.
• If the DNS returns an IPv4 address, the source host sends an IPv4
packet. If the DNS returns an IPv6 address, the source host sends an

9.29
IPv6 packet.
 Tunneling

9.30
 Tunneling
• Tunneling is a strategy used when two computers using IPv6 want to
communicate
• with each other and the packet must pass through a region that uses IPv4.
• To pass through this region, the packet must have an IPv4 address.
• So, the IPv6 packet is encapsulated in an IPv4 packet when it enters the
region, and it leaves its capsule when it exits the region. It seems as if the
IPv6 packet goes through a tunnel at one end and emerges at the other
end.
• To make it clear that the IPv4 packet is carrying an IPv6 packet as data, the
protocol value is set to 41. Tunneling is shown in Figure 20.20.
9.31
 Header Translation

9.32
 Header Translation
• Header translation is necessary when the majority of the Internet has moved to

IPv6 but some systems still use IPv4.

• The sender wants to use IPv6, but the receiver does not understand IPv6.

Tunneling does not work in this situation because the packet must be in the IPv4

format to be understood by the receiver.

• In this case, the header format must be totally changed through header

translation. The header of the IPv6 packet is converted to an IPv4 header.

9.33
 Header translation uses the mapped address to translate an IPv6 address
to an IPv4 address. Table 20.11 lists some rules used in transforming an IPv6
packet header to an IPv4 packet header.

9.34
 Thanks

9.35